Bob's Coyote FriendsA Compilation of Memories and Reflections on Bob Sallinger’s Impact on Coyotes in OregonBob Sallinger, a giant in Oregon’s environmental community, gave his energy, expertise, and enthusiasm to countless conservation projects, initiatives, and organizations across the state of Oregon. In the weeks since his death, his wide and profound impact on the state’s natural spaces, animals, and people has been documented by his friends and colleagues (e.g., reflections from Bird Alliance, Willamette Riverkeeper, Oregon Metro, Oregon Fish & Wildlife Commission, House Interim Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water, and many, many more). At the Portland Urban Coyote Project, we hope to capture how much he did to promote sensible and peaceful coexistence between people and coyotes across the state—one small piece of his work that feels huge to us. Shortly after his death, project advisor Barbara Brower and Project Director Zuriel van Belle shared their initial reflections on his impact on the PUCP (here and here, respectively). The coyote project would not be the robust resource it is today without Bob’s unfailing attention and advisorship over its decade-long development—in fact, the project might not exist at all without his influence. Our goal in this tribute is to cement his critical role in this project and in the lives of our closest wild canid neighbors. Please contact us with your experiences with Bob and his life and work related to coyotes so we can include them here—this is an evolving effort. Reflections from Friends and Colleagues on Bob's Coyote WorkBarbara Brower "[Bob] helped us make the transition from an improvised coyote-sightings map project to the full-blown Portland Urban Coyote Project we have today. He was mentor, collaborator, and partner, who somehow managed to give countless hours and ideas to our coyote project while engineering the development of this country’s largest and most influential Audubon affiliate, and standing in the vanguard of every battle to protect Oregon’s wild nature. We did sometimes have to plan our coyote events around bedtimes, because in addition to being a warrior for Earth, Bob Sallinger, from what I can tell, was a terrific dad. Was all of that effort, so much urgent action calling on him from all sides, too much for one man? Maybe. Camilla Fox “When I started Project Coyote in 2008, Bob was my go-to person for coyote related issues in Portland, Oregon and beyond. I remember when I first interacted with Bob I was moved by his passion for coyotes- especially as the head of Portland Audubon. I was surprised that an Audubon chapter was the lead organization serving the Portland area on the coyote front. Since that time, I came to understand why: not only was Bob deeply passionate about coyotes, but he was incredibly knowledgeable, levelheaded, and strategic in his approach about fostering proactive coexistence strategies and raising public awareness about the importance of coyotes to healthy ecosystems. He knew how to bring people together around an issue and find common ground. He also cared deeply for individual animals, recognizing their intrinsic value while also working to protect species populations and ecosystem integrity. Bob brought this passion, kindness, caring, clarity of vision and can-do attitude to all of his work for wildlife and wildlands. The world has lost a one-of-a-kind warrior – who will be sorely missed by many.” Stan Gehrt “...Bob and I used to interact a lot, maybe less so in recent years but not for any particular reason other than we were both busy. Much of it was about coyotes, but not always. There was a time we both bounced ideas off each other. I considered him a good friend, and I think maybe he felt the same way. Dave Keiter “Like many people, my first interaction with Bob was in relation to Portland’s urban coyote population. The first two things that were evident about Bob were his unending passion for educating the public and his encyclopedic knowledge of the ecology and history of wildlife in Portland. Bob had a contagious enthusiasm that allowed him to relate to people of every age and background and it was impossible to walk away from a conversation both informed and entertained. At his core, Bob was an educator and a conservationist and had an incredible impact on the way that Oregon views wildlife. Bob was unique in his ability to build collaborations and partnerships and I consider myself lucky to have worked with Bob to help develop Coyote-palooza. Many of the reasons that Portland is viewed as a green city can be attributed to the tireless work by Bob to build understanding and tolerance of wildlife and appreciation for the habitat the urban spaces can provide. All any of us who worked with Bob can aspire to is to have a small fraction of the impact he had in positively shaping Oregon’s wildlife community and the way we interact with it.” Karen Kraus "Bob has been a colleague, friend, and mentor for more than 25 years. Through his vision, the Portland Audubon (now Bird Alliance of Oregon) and Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon formed a lasting partnership of respecting cats and wildlife and finding solutions that benefit them both. He understood the common cat and bird conflict could best be addressed by engaging the community, and that in Portland, people care deeply about the welfare of cats and birds and that they prefer humane approaches to addressing the issue. He helped found the Cats Safe at Home partnership that focuses on raising public awareness, public policy, research and community engagement around the intersection of cats and wildlife. The Catio Tour being the program's highest profile activity has hosted 10,000 guests and resulted in a “movement” of catios being built – we now track more than 1,200 in the Portland region. Catios serve an important role in reducing cat predation on birds and other wildlife, and they keep cats safe from coyotes and other harm. Bob spoke at FCCO annual meetings about coyotes and together we presented at neighborhood association meetings about cats and coyotes - which is a hot topic in most neighborhoods and on Nextdoor. We gave countless presentations together from Hawaii to Massachusetts encouraging other communities to work toward similar solutions that protect wildlife and cats. His leadership will be greatly missed. In his honor I will remain steadfastly committed to carrying his vision into the future." Joe Liebezeit “Bob was my supervisor for nearly a decade at Portland Audubon/Bird Alliance of Oregon. I learned so much from him. I didn’t work with him much on coyotes but I know that any time a Portland neighborhood community wanted someone to come and talk to them about coyotes, he was always ready to go and he had a great knack for helping communities understand that coyotes are a natural part of our urban and suburban landscape. The furry critter I worked with Bob the most on were feral cats. Bob was amazing at bridging the divide between wildlife conservation and the welfare of outdoor cats. He formed a really unique innovative relationship with the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon to work on new ways to protect wildlife from cat predation while also keeping cats safe as well. Anyone that’s gone to the annual Catio event that the Feral Cat Coalition and Bird Alliance partner on can attest to this. We carry on Bob’s legacy in so many ways at Bird Alliance and many other organizations and partners. Your spirit lives on Bob!” Marie Martin “I first met Bob virtually in 2021 as our team at Oregon State University began an ongoing collaboration with the Portland Urban Coyote Project. Bob’s personality, enthusiasm, and passion for coyotes and conservation were apparent and could not be contained by his tiny square on Zoom. We continued to meet with Bob as part of regular collaborator meetings with the Portland Urban Coyote Project, where his support for us as individuals but also as researchers and conservationists never faltered. I selfishly always enjoyed when our conversations wandered, as Bob was an endless source of entertaining, heartening, and poignant anecdotes about his conservation experiences over the years. He was a striking individual in many ways, but what stuck with me most is how he could be endlessly engaged in conservation without becoming jaded or cynical. Bob was a tireless advocate and successfully united many individuals and institutions in their shared goals of stewardship and human-wildlife coexistence. He was, and always will be, a bright and guiding light in Oregon’s conservation legacy and in the lives of everyone who had the chance to meet him.” Sean Matthews “Bob Sallinger was dedicated to the conservation of the natural world and his community of partners. Bob understood the opportunities and challenges of conservation through a lived experience conserving nature throughout Oregon. Bob brought to every conversation a depth of knowledge and experience that he had a way of presenting with humor and humility that filled knowledge gaps, transformed perspectives, and motivated partners. The timeline and challenges around human-coyote coexistence in Portland was tailor-made for Bob Sallinger. He had a unique knack for distilling complex natural and social issues, seemingly at odds in many cases, for any audience to find common ground. The human and coyote communities of Portland are forever indebted to Bob’s dedication and vision. Bob’s legacy will be a source of inspiration for future generations of conservation practitioners in Portland, the Pacific Northwest, and beyond.” Kelly Peterson “Bob was a friend, colleague, and trailblazing conservation hero for Oregon’s wildlife, including for his beloved coyotes. Whether advocating to strengthen trap check times for Oregon’s wildlife, including coyotes, ban the use of M-44’s, which are used on coyotes, end coyote killing contests, and more recently create a Wildlife Coexistence Funding Program within ODFW, Bob was often the smartest, most compelling and persuasive in any meeting room. I learned so much from him. We all did. Bob also educated and engaged Portlanders about the lives of crows; he fought to protect Portland’s shrinking tree canopies and spent decades educating Portlanders about how to live alongside and coexist with our urban coyote friends. Bob was one-of-a-kind in this world. His courage. His humility. His humor. His passion. His talent. His accomplishments. His compassion. Bob was a compassionate warrior. Fly high, Bob. We carry forward your legacy and fierce advocacy.” Zuriel van Belle "[...Bob] was a trusted collaborator and an absolute fount of knowledge—about coyotes, partners, and messaging. His input, advice, and wisdom were indispensable for our project and we, like so many others, have lost a piece of the project we won’t get back. Please contact us with your experiences with Bob and his life and work related to coyotes so we can include them here—this is an evolving effort.
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